Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item :https://hdl.handle.net/2066/132327

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Subject:

Learning in changing contexts

Organization:

SW OZ BSI OE

Journal title:

School Leadership and Management

Volume:

vol. 19

Issue:

iss. 3

Page start:

p. 293

Page end:

p. 304

Abstract:

Complex, multi-dimensional and often conflicting reform has led in The Netherlands to a situation in which the management of schools is no longer seen as the exclusive preserve of senior management. In order to manage changes within schools it is deemed necessary to expand the management function to other levels of the organization. In this context teams are held increasingly responsible for carrying out the middle management function, in particular in the educational domain of schools. In this article the results of Dutch research into these teams, in particular subject departments, and the way they carry out the middle managment function are presented and compared to results of similar research in other educational settings. The article ends with a reflection on the desirability of departmentalisation. The functioning of departments will be compared with the functioning of teams within different contexts, in particular interdisciplinary teaming. Finally, suggestions for future research into departmentalisation and its alternatives are made.